System and method for handling voice calls and data calls

Abstract

A telephone network includes a service switching point, a service control point, and a service node. The service node determines whether a call to a telephone line is a voice call or a data call. Based on this determination, the telephone network may connect the call to the telephone line, redirect the call to a service line, or terminate the call.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. A telephone network comprising: 
       a service switching point serving a telephone line, the service switching point being operable to receive a call to the telephone line and issue a query in response to receiving the call;  
       a service control point in communication with the service switching point over a first communication path, the service control point being operable to provide instructions to the service switching point to connect the call to the telephone line or transfer the call; and  
       a service node in communication with the service switching point over a second communication path, the service node being operable to receive a transferred call from the service switching point and determine whether the transferred call is a voice call or a data call, and transfer the transferred call to the service switching point if the transferred call is not a data call;  
       wherein upon receiving the call to the telephone line, the service switching point issues a first query to the service control point, the service control point instructs the service switching point to transfer the call to the service node, the service switching point transfers the call to the service node, and the service node receives the call and determines whether the call is a voice call or a data call, and transfers the call back to the service switching point if the call is not a data call.  
     
     
       2. The telephone network of  claim 1 , wherein the service switching point receives the call transferred from the service node and issues a second query to the service control point, and the service control point instructs the service switching point to connect the call to the telephone line. 
     
     
       3. The telephone network of  claim 2 , wherein the service node monitors voice channel data of the call to determine whether the call is a voice call or a data call. 
     
     
       4. The telephone network of  claim 3 , wherein the service node determines the call is a data call if the service node detects the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data. 
     
     
       5. The telephone network of  claim 4 , wherein the electronic communication device data is generated by a first facsimile device. 
     
     
       6. The telephone network of  claim 5 , wherein the service node transfers the call to a service line if the call is a data call. 
     
     
       7. The telephone network of  claim 6 , wherein the service line is connected to a second facsimile device operable to receive the electronic communication data. 
     
     
       8. The telephone network of  claim 2 , wherein the service switching point includes a terminating attempt trigger associated with the telephone line, the terminating attempt trigger being activated upon the service switching point receiving the call to the telephone line, and wherein the service switching point issues the first and second queries in response to the terminating attempt trigger being activated. 
     
     
       9. The telephone network of  claim 8 , wherein the first and second queries include call data indicating whether the call has been transferred by the service node. 
     
     
       10. The telephone network of  claim 9 , wherein the service control point instructs the service switching point to transfer the call to the service node if the call data indicates the call has not been transferred by the service node. 
     
     
       11. The telephone network of  claim 10 , wherein the service control point instructs the service switching point to connect the call to the telephone line if the call data indicates the call has been transferred by the service node. 
     
     
       12. The telephone network of  claim 1 , wherein the service node terminates the call if the call is a data call. 
     
     
       13. The telephone network of  claim 1 , wherein the service node transfers the call to a service line if the call is a data call. 
     
     
       14. The telephone network of  claim 13 , wherein the service line is connected to a terminating device operable to receive the data call. 
     
     
       15. A method of processing a call to a telephone line in a telephone network, the telephone network comprising a service switching point, the service switching point serving the telephone line, a service control point, and a service node, the service control point and the service node in communication with the service switching point over first and second communication paths, respectively, the method comprising the steps of: 
       receiving the call to the telephone line at the service switching point;  
       issuing a first query from the service switching point to the service control point in response to receiving the call;  
       in response to the first query, issuing instructions from the service control point to instruct the service switching point to transfer the call to the service node;  
       determining at the service node whether the call is a voice call or a data call; and  
       transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point if the call is not a data call.  
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , further comprising the steps of: 
       issuing a second query from the service switching point to the service control point in response to receiving the call transferred from the service node; and  
       in response to the second query, issuing instructions from the service control point to instruct the service switching point to connect the call to the telephone line.  
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of transferring the call from the service node to a service line if the call is a data call. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 17 , further comprising the step of receiving the data call at a terminating device connected to the service line. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18 , wherein the terminating device is a facsimile device. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising the step of terminating the call if the service node determines the call is a data call. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the step of determining at the service node whether the call is a voice call or a data call comprises the steps of: 
       connecting the call to the service node;  
       monitoring voice channel data of the call at the service node; and  
       determining the call is a data call if the service node detects the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data.  
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 21 , further comprising the step of transmitting a voice message indicating a delay from the service node in response to monitoring voice channel data of the call at the service node. 
     
     
       23. A method of processing a call to a telephone line in a telephone network, the telephone network comprising a service switching point, the service switching point serving the telephone line, a service control point, and a service node, the service control point and the service node in communication with the service switching point over first and second communication paths, respectively, the method comprising the steps of: 
       receiving the call to the telephone line at the service switching point;  
       issuing a query from the service switching point to the service control point in response to receiving the call;  
       issuing from the service control point to the service switching point an instruction to transfer the call to the service node;  
       determining at the service node whether the call is a data call;  
       transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point based on the determination at the service node; and  
       connecting the call transferred from the service node to the telephone line at the service switching point.  
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the step of determining at the service node whether the call is a data call comprises the steps of: 
       connecting the call to the service node;  
       monitoring voice channel data of the call at the service node;  
       determining the call is a data call if the service node detects the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data; and  
       determining the call is not a data call if the service node does not detect the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data.  
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 24 , wherein the step of transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point based on the determination at the service node comprises the step of transferring the call to the service switching point if the service node determines the call is not a data call. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 25 , further comprising the step of transferring the call to a service line if the service node determines the call is a data call. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 24 , wherein the step of transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point based on the determination at the service node comprises the step of transferring the call to the service switching point if the service node determines the call is a data call. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 23 , wherein the step of issuing from the service control point to the service switching point an instruction to transfer the call to the service node comprises the steps of: 
       determining whether the service node has transferred the call to the service switching point; and  
       issuing instructions to the service switching point to transfer the call to the service node if the service node has not transferred the call to the service switching point.  
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 28 , wherein the step of determining at the service node whether the call is a data call comprises the steps of: 
       connecting the call to the service node;  
       monitoring voice channel data of the call at the service node;  
       determining the call is a data call if the service node detects the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data; and  
       determining the call is not a data call if the service node does not detect the presence of electronic communication device data in the voice channel data.  
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 29 , wherein the step of transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point based on the determination at the service node comprises the step of transferring the call to the service switching point if the service node determines the call is not a data call. 
     
     
       31. The method of  claim 29 , wherein the step of transferring the call from the service node back to the service switching point based on the determination at the service node comprises the step of transferring the call to the service switching point if the service node determines the call is a data call. 
     
     
       32. A telephone network, comprising: 
       a service switching point serving a telephone line, the service switching point being operable to issue a query upon receiving a call to the telephone line;  
       a service control point in communication with the service switching point, the service control point being operable to receive the query and instruct the service switching point to transfer the call; and  
       a service node in communication with the service switching point, the service node being operable to receive the call transferred from the service switching point and monitor voice channel data of the call to determine whether electronic communication device data is present in the voice channel data of the call, and further being operable to transfer the call back to the service switching point for connection to the telephone line based on the determination.  
     
     
       33. The telephone network of  claim 32 , wherein the service control point is further operable to instruct the service switching point to connect the call to the telephone line after the service switching point receives the call transferred from the service node. 
     
     
       34. The telephone network of  claim 33 , wherein the service node transfers the call back to the service switching point if the service node determines that electronic communication data is not present in the voice channel data of the call. 
     
     
       35. The telephone network of  claim 34 , wherein the service node transfers the call to a service line if the service node determines that electronic communication device data is present in the voice channel data of the call. 
     
     
       36. The telephone network of  claim 35 , wherein the service line is connected to an electronic communication device being operable to receive the electronic communication device data. 
     
     
       37. The telephone network of  claim 33 , wherein the service node transfers the call back to the service switching point if the service node determines that electronic communication data is present in the voice channel data of the call. 
     
     
       38. The telephone network of  claim 37 , wherein the service node terminates the call if the service node determines that electronic communication data is not present in the voice channel data of the call. 
     
     
       39. The telephone network of  claim 38 , wherein the service node provides a voice communication prior to terminating the call if the service node determines that electronic communication data is not present in the voice channel data of the call.